Moldable foot support



Aug. 28, 1956 M. D. @Csm 2,760,281

MOLDABLE FOOT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17-l 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l Zweaoi'lMway .0. 00.61224.

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Aug. 28, 1956 M. D. coslN 2,760,281

MOLDABLE FooT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17, 1954 s sheets-sheet 2 Murcy.Coasif, zy www aumm Hawzeys Filed Feb. 17, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStates Patent O n MOLDABLE FGOT SUPPORT Murray D. Cosin, Endicott, N. lApplication February 17, 1954, Serial No. 410,756

3 Claims. (Cl. 36--71) V'I'his invention relates to foot supportingdevices, and more particularly to devices adapted to be inserted in thetoe area of shoes or other footwear for promoting natural action of thefoot in walking. The present application is a continuation-in-part ofthe inventors copending application, Serial No. 337,035, iiled February16, 1953, now abandoned.

It will be observed that in normal barefoot walking on a soft surface,such as sand, the toes tend to contract and push the surface materialinto the area immediately behind them, forming a buttress, which thetoes may grip. -This normal grasping action exercises not only the toemuscles but also the muscles which control the main arch of the foot,and thus serves to keep the entire foot in healthy condition. Thebuttress thus formed also provides an anchor for the forward part of thefoot, limiting 2,760,281 Patented Aug. 28,` 1956 ice ' 2 nent imprintwhile retaining a considerable amountof resilience. The insert is madeof a slow flowing, pressure moldable material which retains itsplasticity indefinitely, but is sufficiently cohesive to retain itsmolded shapeiwhen pressure is removed. After a short period of weaigthelpad-adapts itself to the contour of the under surfaceof vthe v softsurface. This buttress promotes constant and active,

use of the toes in the normal manner during'walkingso'as to restore andmaintain their muscle' tone, and also helps` to eliminate arch strainsbyproviding an Vanchor for the forepart of the foot. An innersole thusconstructed also 1 aiords better weight distribution overithe undersurfaces the tendency of the foot to pronate and elongate along itslongitudinal axis, and increases the areaof weight bearing surface, thusproviding better weight distribution.

The hard, at insoles of conventional footwear aiord no comparable anchorfor the foot in walking, and eliminate much of the natural toe actionwhich would normally maintain the tone of the toe and arch supportingmuscles. As `a result, constant walking in such footwear, and on thehard surfaces usually encountered, tends to develop strains in the archsupporting muscles and displacement of the bones, particularly in themetatarsal region, as well as loss of tone of the toe muscles. On hardsurfaces, furthermore, the concentration of weight on the ball of thefoot is likely to produce sore spots and callouses.

Arch supporting devices provide temporary relief for strains anddisplacements, and improve weight distribution, but such devicesdiscourage, rather than encourage, proper exercise of the foot muscles.For example, metatarsal pads cause extension, rather than contraction ofthe toes in Walking. The corrective exercises ordinarily prescribed toovercome muscular weaknesses of the foot are tedious and time-consuming,and patients rarely practice them with sucient regularity to achievesatisfactory results.

The object of this invention is to provide a moldable insert adapted tobe installed in the forward part of a shoe or other footwear, whichsimulates the buttress naturally formed by the grasping action of thetoes in walking on soft sand, or a similar surface.

In one form, the device here described consists inV general of a pad ofresilient, somewhat plastic material, ex-

tending over the entire inner surface of the shoe or sole, having aninsert of more iowable material in the general region of the areabetween the heads of the metatarsal bones of the foot and the proximalphalangeal shafts of the toes. The pad is formed of two layers, or issplit through the forepart, and the ilowable insert material trappedbetween the less plastic layers so as to limit its ow. The pad may beplaced in the shoe as a separate inner sole or permanently built intothe shoe. The pad is preferably made of a material which will take apermaofthe foot than a iiat surface, thus reducing concentra` tion ofpressure on .the heel and ball. As well as` providing an excellentcorrective for footailments developed in walking on hard surfaces, theinner sole is ofgrfeat benefit in maintaining the health and comfort'ofnormal feet. A r i f In another form, the pad may consist ofaniimperviof'us envelope enclosing a moldable materialwhich Yremainspermanently plastic. The envelope may be attachedin various ways to thesock lining of a shoe or slipper, or may be built into the inner sole ofthe shoe. v. In the drawings illustrating the invention; A,

Fig. l is a longitudinal cross-section of a shoe in which al separateinner sole, constructed according `to ltheAin-Il vention has beeninstalled; t f

Fig. 2 -is a top view ofan inner sole, construe-ted ac-v cording to theinvention, which has been worn suficiently to mold the insert to thedesired contour;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section of the inner sole taken alongtheline 3 3 of Fig. 2; Y f Fig. 4 is a detail view of the separate partsused to make upA the inner sole; v n K Fig. 5 illustrates 'a modified`constructionofthe inner sole; Y j

. Fig. 6 illustrates the inner sole as adapted tobe built into a shoe;'.1 l

Fig. 7 illustrates a moldable toe insert, constructed according to theinvention, installed in a conventional shoe insole;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a strip of material from which 'amodification of the .insert may be formed; v

Fig. 9 illustrates one step in forming a toe insertfrom the strip ofPig. 8; Fig. 10 isa plan view of a completed insert formed from thestrip of Fig. 8;

Fig. 1l is a cross-section taken along line 151.-11 `of Y Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a cross-section of a modification of Fig..l0; y

Fig.` 13 is a bottom view of a sole pad or sock lining, withamoditlcation of theinsert installed; l Fig. 14 is a plan View of a toesling pad incorporating the insert; Fig. l5 is a side view of thel slingof Fig. 15.-

VIn Fig. lthe inner sole is shown installed in a clonventionalshoehaving a sole 10 and insole-11 between which is interposed a layer ofller vmaterial 12... 'The inner sole itself as illustrated in Figs. l, 3and 4, consists of a resilient bottom 1ayer'13, a resilient upper layer14, each about 1A@ in.y thick or thicker, a plastic insert and socklining 16 of material ordinarily'used for.. the purpose such as thinnatural ory artificial leather, or,cloth. The resilient layers 13 and14fare Amade ofY a material which will take a permanentl imprint of thefoot afteria short period of wear while retainingV a certain'anountllofresiliency. A composition of uncured spongerubber'iid of the he used.

outer edges.

cork, such as thatdisclosedin Patent Number 2,288,686, i

` to Daniels, has beenfound especially suitable for the pur layers. YAvcompound Vof cork, petroleum asphalt, and

plasticizer, used for pipe insulation Vand sold under the trademarkNo-Drip* by the G, 'Morte'll Co., fhas been found suitable. Other.similar. materialsmaybe used however, the chiefY requirements being thatthejinsert hindithe toes, and at the same time sufficiently stifE'andcohesive so as to retain its inoldedshape .andnot to spread beyondthedesired area. Y d K s' VIn the inner sole as manufactured, the insertis about E /gg y in.` tofjza in. ,thick throughout the roughlytriangular inV outlineas shown in Fig. 4, and has a somewhat .concaveedge 30. It is placed on the lower pad layer 13 with the frontYcornertilted somewhat toward the large toe area, inthepositionindicated by the dotted'outline 17. Theupper .padY layery 14 is thenplaced on top .and cemented to the lower Ylayer up to the edge oftheinsert, thus trapping the insert material and restricting its flow. Thesock lining 16 is cemented to the upper'pad layer. Any suitablematerialbe suciently .ilowable under pressure to form 'the'relativelyhigh ridge required tojll inthe space be-r tween twostrips 33 and 34,Ao'f a rubber hydrochloride film i such as' that sold under thetrademark Pliotilmiv by'thej Goodyear Tire & Rubberv Co., or otherexible material. A silicone layer about figinl to M6 in. thick placedbertween Pliollm has been found generally,V satisfactory. YVIn'- sertblanks 3S havingthe general shape of a right triangle with a slightlycurvedfhypotenuse are then die cutlfrorn the strip of Fig. .8, as. showninlFig. 9. A blank V35 is then placed between two layers 37 and 38 ofpolyethylene 5 lm cut to the same general shape but of slightly largersize than the blank,.and the margins of the. polyethylene film layersheat sealed along the line 39 all around the blank; The heat sealing ispreferably performed Yby means i of a die which fits closelyenougharound the blank to prevent trapping ofrany substantial amount ofYair, the die must yet have enough clearance to avoid putting pressure*on the blank and squeezing Vthe silicone compound out from between thePliolm layers, :as silicone compound.

i in the'margin would prevent the polyethylene iillmlayers adhesive suchas Vrubber cement may vbe used. For better` Y seating in the shoe, theunder edge of the assembled inner sole may be tapered all around, asindicated at the -heel edge '18,in' Fig. l and the side edges V19andr20in`Fig.v v37.

n After a short period of wear the insert becomes molded by the Wearersfoot to kthe Ygeneral shape shown in Figs. l,

from sealing properly. The silicone is thus trappedin ai.

leak-proof, exible envelope.

Another method of confining a silicone compound 4to v form a moldabletoe insert is to dip one of the blanks '35 in latex and allow the latexto dry, for forminga unitary l .25

envelope 40 as shown in Fig. l2.

The polyethylene film or latex covered siliconeinserts may be installedin a pad of eitherof the types described in Figs. .l-5, or may beinstalled in a conventional inso'1e.f

asshown ,in Fig. 7. The insert is placed in a right shoe for example,with the apex V42 about on the centerline of the shoe, 1A' inch to2inches Vback'fromV the toe of the sole, the curved edge 43 aboutparallel to the right outer edge of the sole,land the rear edgeslantingslightly for- 2 and. The major bulk of the insert materialispushed up into an 'arcuate Vridge l22 which conforms to the hollowbetween the-toes and the ball of the foot. This ridge is high in themiddle and tapers downward towardthe Depressions 23, 24, 25, 26 and j27.are formed around the forward edge of the insert to .conform to'theballs ofthe toes, and the rear part 28 is attened outV `to t the ball ofthe foot. shapes itself to theoverall contour of the under. surface ofthe foot;

The upper pad 14 'also In theV modification of Fig. 5, the separateresilient .f layers 13 and 14 are replaced by a single layer 29,approximately 1/5 in. thickwhich is vsplit through'the forepart toVreceive Vthe insert 1S. After the insert is in place, the split portionis cementedtogether around the edges.

Fig. 6 illustrates a composite insole incorporatingthe moldable innersole'and adapted to be builtintoa shoe in place of the conventional datinsole. The insert .15 and upper and lower pads 13 andk 14 are;assembled as in .the separate'. inner vsole and cementedy toV theconventional insole 11,?the edgesof the pads extending to the edges ofInfthis case the inner sole terminates at the archvof the Y Y" shoe, therear edge being suitably tapered.

' the insole. The Aassembly is'thenV attached'Y tofthejupper 1 .in theusual manner. YIn certain types'of footwear, particu- Y larly finwomensshoes, it may be preferable to havethe `moldable. inner soleV cover onlythejforepartof the shoe.

. Fig. 7 illustrates another type ofnpermanent installa.

'tion of .the toe insert in ashoe. Here` the Conventional Vleatherinsole V11'is split Yin the forepart, in much the vsame Ymanner aspad 29in Fig. 5.l 'The insert l15 is put in Vp lace f between the splitportions of the 'insoleforeparg `and the g insole is then Yassembled ina shoe in the conventional manner. Y `Y Figs. l0, 1l and 12., illustratean insert .n'whirch the moldable plastic material 3.1 is asilicone fluidor lguna .As the iirst steprin the'prefelred method 4for making .s115111insert,y a layer ofsilicone compound spread `.bef-

` portions .cemented together lall around the inset-if. The

ward from right to left. The trapped siliconeis molded by wear to formthe desired ridge behind the toes. The sizeof the insert maybe variedfor use in mens, womens and childrens shoes. For an average mansshoe,ghow` ever., the size of the blank 3 5 may be about 1% inches fromthe rear edge 41 .to the apex 42, and about 2 inches wide at the rear.

In Fig. 13, the insert blank is shown attached to thebottom of a thinsole pad or sock Vlining 45, This View represents the under side of apad or. lining for the right.A foot.' The insert blank is laid in placeVagainst the under side of the pad, and covered by a patch 416.`V T hepatch is secured 'by a row of close stitching 47v around the `edge oftheinsert blank. Preferably a lyerV of latex cement',

`or similar adhesive is applied around the'margin 48 of the patch beforestitching so as to ensure a ,complete .Seal around the insert.VAlternatively, therstitching ,rrrlayfbe` Y 'Y omitted and the patchattachedby cement'alone.. The

assembled sock lining and insert may be installed perma- .Y nently inashoe,-or may be glued to a resilientlayerrsuch as pad 13, to form aremovable 'inner sol e. Y l Y Y. Fig. 14 shows a pad for the forwardpart-'of the foot Y only, held in lplace .'by a toe sling. An insert ofthe type shown fin Fig.. l'l Vor 1.2 is placed in the splitforepartdof'asponge rubber pad 48 to which Vare attached an instepY strap49 andatoestrapSO. This padis held ,ontherstrap's Y and is convenient for wear inbedroom slippers or other footwear. d The. moldable Linsert becomesmoldedto the Y 'desired ridge form and *has thesame effectv as wheninstalled in a shoe.

The type of materials which are suitable formakingthe sealedtyp Ofinsertare permanently plastic,-.slow-owing, non-resilient substance'srsuch assilicone fiuids,oils, Vor gums. `For example ditunctional polysiloxane,disubistituted polysiloxane, and diralkyl-,aryl-alkenyl polysiloioy ane,vor combinations .of ,these substances or .other substanceswithsimilarpropertie'smay'be used. Inertfllers .such ascalciumcarbonate, ground cork or similar ma e- .rialsmayrbe .added to providegreater Ybulk and thus decrease they cost. The essential.characteristics .of a mate- ,nal usedrvforgthis purpose,areplasticiti/,Y ,iluidi ty, softness @liee-@allega- .Tlle material.1.1111. been@ which. te-

tains these characteristics indenitely and is not substantially aectedby temperature changes. The material should ow readily under lightpressure but should be nonresilient and suiciently cohesive to retain animprint when the pressure is removed.

The separate self contained type of moldable insert gives the wearer allthe benefits resulting from the natural toe action, and has theadvantage of taking only a negligible amount of space in the shoe. Infact, the insert, when molded occupies only the space behind theV toeswhich would otherwise be empty, so that the tit of the shoe is notaltered. The insert may thus be used in a shoe of the wearers normalsize.

What is claimed is:

l. A toe grip for footgear, comprising an insert of plastic materialwhich is sufficiently slow owing to remain substantially static whenunstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but issufficiently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of thehuman foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaidcharacteristics substantially permanently, and means for confining saidmaterial in a piece of footgear to the sole region disposed, when thefootgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between theheads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes.

2. A toe grip for footgear, comprising an insert of plastic materialwhich is suciently slow flowing to remain substantially static whenunstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but issuiiciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of thehuman foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaidcharacteristics substantially permanently, and means for confining saidmaterial in a piece of footgear to a sole region adapted, when thefootgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot, said regionbeing bounded by a irst transverse line disposed to lie ahead of theheads of the metatarsal bones of the foot, by a second line extendingforward from the rst in the vicinity of the large toe of the foot, andby a third line extending rearward from the second to the rst along thevicinity of the balls of the other toes of the foot.

3. A toe grip as described in claim 2, said rst and second lines beingsubstantially straight and at right angles to one another, and the thirdline being somewhat bowed outward.

4. A toe grip for footgear, comprising a sealed impervious envelope, andan insert of plastic material which is sufficiently slow owing to remainsubstantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by lightexternal pressure, but is suciently owable at body temperature to bemolded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted toretain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, saidinsert being confined in said envelope.

5. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a pair of layers offlexible material adapted to be disposed, one above the other, in apiece of footgear and to extend over the sole part thereof, and aninsert of plastic material which is suiciently slow owing to remainsubstantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by lightexternal pressure, but is suciently owable at body temperature to bemolded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted toretain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, saidinsert being disposed between said layers in the region disposed, whenthe footgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between theheads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, said layersbeing secured together around said insert so as to confine the insert tosaid region.

6. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a piece of exible materialadapted to be disposed in a piece of footgear and to extend over thesole part thereof, said piece having a forepart comprising upper andlower laminations, and an insert of plastic material which isSulliciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressedand to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suicientlyflowable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot inwalking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristicssubstantially permanently, said insert being disposed between saidlaminations in the region disposed, when the footgear is worn, tounderlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsalbones and the balls of the toes, said laminations being secured togetheraround said insert so as to conne the insert to said region.

7. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a piece of flexiblematerial adapted to be disposed in a piece of footgear and to extendover the sole part thereof, an insert of plastic material which issuthciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressedand to resist displacement by light external pressure, but issuiiciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of thehum-an foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaidcharacteristics substantially permanently, said insert being disposed onthe under side of said piece in the region disposed, when the footgearis Worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of themetatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, land a patch of flexiblematerial disposed under said insert and secured to said piece all aroundthe insert so as to confine the insert to said region.

8. A toe grip for a piece of footgear, comprising a pad of permanentlydeformable material adapted to be disposed over the sole of a piece offootgear, said pad having a forepart comprising upper and lower layers,and an insert of plastic material which is suciently slow flowing toremain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacementby light external pressure, but is suiciently fiowable at bodytemperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking andwhich is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantiallypermanently, said insert being disposed between said layers in theregion disposed, when the footgear is Worn, to underlie the toe cavityof the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls ofthe toes, said layers being secured together around said insert so as toconfine the insert to said region.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,008,985 Latteman July 23, 1935 2,055,072 Everston Sept. 22, 19362,288,686 Daniels July 7, 1942 2,313,870 Golden Mar. 16, 1943 2,409,594Sherman Oct. 15, 1946 2,546,827 Lavinthal Mar. 27, 1951 2,641,066Filardo Iune 9, 1953

